The 49-year-old suffered smoke inhalation after the machine caught fire in her Edinburgh flat at about 7.30pm yesterday (Thu).
According to Lothian and Borders Fire brigade she did not call 999 until 9.30pm.
Firefighters wearing breathing masks and using hoses and extinguishers then battled the fire in Caledonian Crescent.
The casualty was given oxygen by the fire crew before being taken by ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
The boyfriend of the woman commented outside the flat and said that all that was in the tumble drier was “clothes”.
He would not comment on why it took the woman three hours to call the fire brigade.
James Joines, 47, who was visting his girlfriend next door the time of the fire, said: “Me and my girlfriend popped our heads out the door and there were quite a lot of firemen and they told us to go back in and close the door.
“The girl was sitting on the stairs but I couldn’t tell you how she was because I could only see through the peephole.”
“You could smell the smoke but you couldn’t see it, it wasn’t coming through the door or anything.”
